"I don't like the world the way it is, and I miss the past. It's a foolish way to be."
-Dave Robicheaux, The Neon Rain (James Lee Burke, 1987)

I believe it's the case that Mr. Burke himself has compared his Cajun cop hero, Dave Robicheaux, to Don Quixote and it's that sentiment above that justifies the comparison. Robicheaux is an alcoholic/recovering alcoholic--like the author--tormented by memories of the violence of Vietnam and plunged continuously into the almost tropical corruption (natural, physical, and moral) of New Orleans. With a half-brother who's mob-connected, he believes in a kind of code between criminals and cops. With his military experience he believes in a soldier's code. When a death row prisoner summons him to protest his innocence and he accidentally turns up the corpse of a murdered prostitute while diving in the bayou, Dave is pulled into cases that implicate both mobsters in New Orleans and military men waging wars on America's behalf in Central America. In attempting to navigate these treacherous waters he runs afoul of Internal Affairs and descends back into the bottle. He manages to betray the trust of his decent superior officer, the love of a young woman he's met on the case, and the bond with his somewhat crooked partner, Clete Purcell. Nonetheless, he plunges ahead according to his own personal code of justice and if he's too hard on those around him he's certainly no easier on himself. The characterizations are so strong and the atmosphere done so well it's no wonder the series is still going strong a quarter century later.